Veterans get help finding jobs

Thursday

Aug 27, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Army veteran Jerrell Gladden spent eight years of his life without stable employment and sometimes without a home.

By Lydia Seabol AvantStaff Writer

Army veteran Jerrell Gladden spent eight years of his life without stable employment and sometimes without a home. But with the help of the Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gladden has worked as a janitor for more than two years — something he said he wouldn’t have been able to do without the VA’s vocational rehabilitation program. “It takes courage for a soldier to ask for help,” Gladden said. “I didn’t know this existed when I got out. I didn’t even know this was here, but then all the doors opened up for me.”About 10 million veterans in the U.S. are unemployed and looking for work, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor. The Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center hopes to reduce the number locally.Since 1997, the Tuscaloosa VA has offered a vocational rehabilitation program that is open to any veteran. The program ensures that a vet is ready for work, physically and mentally, and helps put the veteran in contact with vocational training in the community and local employers. “Our job is to make sure they get into the kind of job they are best suited for,” said Tom McNutt, acting supervisor of vocational rehabilitation. “We work with employers all over town and the business community has been great with hiring veterans.”There are around 105 veterans who participate in the vocational rehabilitation program at any given time. The amount of time it takes to complete the program depends on the person and their background, McNutt said. Of the veterans who complete the vocational program, about 96 percent to 97 percent find steady employment locally at places such as the University of Alabama, Stillman College or BFGoodrich. With an unemployment rate of 9.4 percent nationally and 9.7 percent in Tuscaloosa County, finding jobs for veterans has become more difficult. “It has slowed things up a little,” said McNutt, who estimates the unemployment rate of local veterans to be somewhere close to 9.7 percent. “We do have to work a little bit harder, but we are still very successful in finding jobs.”To help more veterans and their immediate family members find jobs, the VA will host a job fair today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The fair will offer information about available jobs, operating small businesses, education benefits, vocational rehabilitation, legal assistance and consumer credit counseling. More than 30 employers ranging from retail stores to law enforcement will be present to talk to veterans about career opportunities. Those seeking employment are asked to bring their resumes and dress appropriately for possible interviews. To search other jobs available to veterans, visit the Web site at www.HireVetsFirst.gov.